Dozens of deaths have been attributed to sweltering conditions sweeping Europe, with record-breaking temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in some places.
As the weather system rolled towards Poland, Denmark logged its highest-ever temperature after Britain, France, Switzerland and Germany had all experienced record heat.
The German Weather Service recorded 41.5C in Drewitz, in Saxony-Anhalt state, yesterday, beating the record of 41.3C set just a day before in Saarbrücken. The Danish Meteorological Institute meanwhile reported a 37C reading north of the city of Aarhus yesterday, the highest on record since measurements began in 1874.
Berlin police yesterday patrolled the city with two water cannons, which are normally used for riot control and dispersing crowds, to provide some relief from the heat, the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel reported. Berlin broke its temperature record, with 39.2C recorded at a weather station in Tempelhof yesterday afternoon.
More than 700 flights were delayed at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports, with some attributed to thunderstorms brought by the record-breaking heatwave.
Experts have warned that the heatwave sweeping Europe could cause Swiss glaciers to lose vast amounts of ice. The snow and ice that accumulated on Switzerland’s glaciers over the winter is expected to have completely melted by tomorrow, marking the second-earliest arrival on record of the annual tipping point known as glacier loss day.
Near Hamburg, the main traffic lane on one of Germany’s busiest motorways was partially closed after the heat led to the asphalt splitting, authorities said.
In Italy, Milan’s Pride march was pushed back until 5pm to avoid the worst of the heat, and the Ironman European Championship long-distance triathlon taking place yesterday in Frankfurt shortened the cycling and running courses due to the heat.
Romania was the latest country to issue a red alert, putting out a warning that almost the entire country would face extreme heat from tomorrow until Wednesday. Slovakia issued a similar warning and confirmed that Friday night was the warmest on record with temperatures not dropping below 26.3C. The Czech Republic, Hungary and Moldova were also on the highest alert for the weekend, with Balkan countries also bracing for the heat.
Italy’s health ministry issued a red alert for the heatwave in 18 Italian cities including Milan, Rome, Turin, Venice, Genoa, Florence and Bologna for yesterday and today, with temperatures expected to reach as much as 39C in some areas.
The French prime minister’s office said although the heatwave was moving on, the healthcare system would remain under pressure and hospital admissions would stay high for several days.
Reports of wildfires in France are up compared with the same period last year as a result of the heatwave, officials say.
Some public service providers, facing the prospect of damage to infrastructure, including buckling roads and train tracks, have sought to reduce traffic.
Germany’s national rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, has given customers the option of cancelling long-distance travel bookings into early next week without charge.
The company said its infrastructure was under particular strain because of sun exposure and additional risk to signals, tracks and overhead wires stemming from thunderstorms and wildfires.
Sources: The Guardian, BBC, Reuters, Agence France-Presse
[Image: Luis Graterol on Unsplash]